The authors of this article state that confronting COVID-19 vaccine misinformation necessitates pre-emptive action to “immunize the public against misinformation”—a process that draws on the concept of psychological inoculation.
Source: Innoculating against COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation
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The social impacts of COVID-19 have important implications to food security and, like many other social and environmental calamities, are not gender or spatially neutral. In many regions across the world, deep-rooted gender norms that devalue women’s unpaid domestic labor burdens also marginalize the health, nutrition, and decision-making power of women and girls.
This post highlights specific gaps in the ability of extension and advisory services (EAS) to address the needs of rural farmers, specifically women, that are increased during emergencies. For example, globally, women report lower access to extension services, as well as information and communication technology devices (radios, cell phones), risk-sharing networks outside of their communities (village savings and loan groups), household power to make decisions, and time to allocate to innovative and adaptive agricultural solutions. In addition, this post addresses the risks that such gender and place-based gaps present to rural food security and social stability, specifically in low- and middle-income countries.
Source: Gender Implications for Extension and Advisory Services during COVID-19
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This study into who is more susceptible to health misinformation and also tested four hypotheses concerning their psychosocial attributes:
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This online course is intended to support national and sub-national focal points in preparing for COVID-19 vaccination. It provides an overview of key aspects of the guidance on developing a national deployment and vaccination plan for COVID-19 vaccines and highlights available and upcoming resources for COVID-19 vaccine introduction.
Source: Orientation to National Deployment and Vaccination Planning for COVID-19 Vaccines
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The COVID-19 vaccine introduction toolbox equips all countries to prepare for and implement COVID-19 vaccination by providing guidance, tools, and training. This toolbox is intended to support Ministries of Health, health workers, partner organizations, and other stakeholders.
Source: COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction Toolkit
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With a focus on countries in the Global South, this infographic series illustrates: how COVID-19 has affected access to essential health services for women; how responses have exacerbated gender inequities in access to essential health services; and what practices and approaches countries have used to mitigate negative impacts.
Source: Gender, Health and COVID-19
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WHO’s ‘Vaccine Explained’ series features illustrated articles on vaccine development and distribution. Learn more about vaccines from the earliest of research stages to their rollout in countries.
Source: Vaccines Explained
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New research by the agency shows that transmission of the virus can be reduced by up to 96.5 percent if both an infected individual and an uninfected individual wear tightly fitted surgical masks or a cloth-and-surgical-mask combination.
One option for reducing transmission is to wear a cloth mask over a surgical mask, the agency said. The alternative is to fit the surgical mask more tightly on the face by “knotting and tucking” — that is, knotting the two strands of the ear loops together where they attach to the edge of the mask, then folding and flattening the extra fabric at the mask’s edge and tucking it in for a tighter seal.
Other effective options that improve the fit include using a mask-fitter — a frame contoured to the face — over a mask, or wearing a sleeve of sheer nylon hosiery material around the neck and pulled up over a cloth or surgical mask, the C.D.C. said.
Source: The CDC Says Tight-Fit Masks or Double Masking Increases Protection
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This paper seeks to assess the quality and validity of information available on YouTube, based on the current Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
The authors identified the 250 most-viewed videos from 1 January 2020 to 12 May 2020 on YouTube using keyword ‘COVID 19’. Two independent reviewers analyzed the English-language videos as useful, misleading, or news updates.
After excluding non-English and irrelevant videos, 100 videos were analyzed. The conclusion in the article is that YouTube is an increasingly important source of medical information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the videos were useful, however due to the public nature of the platform, misleading information may also be easily disseminated. Independent users are more likely to post-misleading videos.
Source: YouTube as a Source of Information on the COVID-19 Pandemic
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This is a position paper that presents observations relating to policy and practice in communication in healthcare related to COVID-19. The authors state that communication in healthcare and COVID-19 have a mutually influential relationship that is informed by policy and has influenced practice. The fast pace at which policies have been developed for and practice has adapted to COVID-19 necessitates critical reflection.
Evidence-based guidance for communication in healthcare in COVID-19 is central to shaping approaches to public health communication. Evidence-based guidance is also necessary for the challenges faced in communicating with patients, their families, and carers during COVID-19.
This paper provides a summary of the key areas for development in communication in healthcare during COVID-19. It offers recommendations for improvement and a call to review policies and practice to build resilience and inclusive and equitable responsiveness in communication in healthcare.
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This website is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Breakthrough ACTION Cooperative Agreement #AID-OAA-A-17-00017. Breakthrough ACTION is based at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP).The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of Breakthrough ACTION and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, the United States Government, or Johns Hopkins University.
